Window construction



Oct. 6, 1959 H. K. LUNDGREN wmnow CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledSept. 6, 1955 (1&3.

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H; K. LUNDGREN wmnow consmucnou Oct. 6, 1 959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledSept. 6, 1955 i f. .S.

Oct. 6, 1959 LUNDGREN I 2,907,079

WINDOW CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 6, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 6,1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 QQM m+ United States Patent 7 WINDOW CONSTRUCTIONHerbert K. Lundgren, Oshkosh, Wis.

Application September 6, 1955, Serial No. 532,545 5 Claims. c1. 20-522)This invention relates to a window construction, and more particularlyto removably mounted, double hung, vertically slidable sash windows.

The main objects of the invention are to provide improved means forremovably mounting the sashes in a double hung vertically slidablewindow construction; to provide a simple construction for removablymounting such sashes; to provide a simple mounting construction whichmay be handled and installed as a unit with equal facility by mechanicsof average skill working in a shop or mill and by building trademechanics working on the job, i.e., on a house or other building underconstruction; to provide such a means which may be employed forconverting conventional, non-removable, vertical slidable sash windowsinto removable vertically slidable sash windows; to provide suchmounting means embodying effective sash counterbalancing means forholding the sash in any selected position of adjustment; to provide suchmounting means in which there is incorporated, in effect,Weatherstripping for insuring wind and weather tightness of the sashesin the frame in which the sashes are mounted; to provide such mountingmeans which is durable and resistant to corrosion, injury or damage inits normal environment; to provide sash mounting means of the characterindicated which can be incorporated in more or less standardized windowconstructions with a minimum of change in the standard construction; andin general, it is the object of the present invention to provide animproved removable double hung window construction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood byreference to the following specification and accompanying drawings, 4sheets, wherein there are illustrated several of the presentlycontemplated best modes of carrying out the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view through a vertically slidabledouble hung window construction embodying a selected form of theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1, with thesashes omitted (except for a partial showing of one sash) to moreclearly show the mounting means;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

' Fig. 4 is a plan section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view similar to Fig. 1 but illustratinga modified construction;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are perspective illustrations of certain elementsof structure;

Figs. 11 and 12 are cross-sectional illustrations which representmodifications of one of the elements employed in the structure shown inFigs. 5 and 6;

Fig. 13 is a horizontal sectional view similar to Fig. 1, butillustrating another modification;

2,907,079 Patented Oct. 6,

Fig. 14 is a vertical sectional view on the line 1414 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a horizontal sectional view similar to Fig. 1, butillustrating still another modification;

Fig. 16 is a vertical section on the line 1616 of Fig. 15; and

Fig. 17 is an exploded perspective illustration of certain elements ofthe construction shown in Figs. 15 and 16. 1

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the present invention is associated with amore or-less conventional or stand ardized window frame which comprisesside members 1 and 2, outer or blind stops 3, inner or trim stops 4, anupper member 5, a sill 6, and an inside window ledge 7. The usualparting stops and recesses for receiving the same are omitted.Conventionally constructed sashes 10 and 11 are vertically slidablymounted in the frame,

the sash 10 being, 'in this instance, the inner or lower sash and thesash 11 being the outer or upper sash. These sashes have meeting railsindicated at 12 and 13 respectively, the meeting rail 12 being a portionof the upper cross member of the inner sash and the meeting rail 13being a portion of the lower cross member of the upper sash. Thesemeeting rails are in accordance with conventional double hung verticallyslidable sash construction.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 1, the opposite side edges of both ofthe sashes are similarly mounted in the frame for vertical slidingmovement. The mounting means comprises (at each side) a guide member orstrip 14 which may advantageously be formed of aluminum extruded throughan appropriate die to provide the illustrated cross-sectional shape. Asillustrated, the guide member 14 comprises a central plate or webportion 15 and a pair of arcuate ribs 16, 16 which extend edgewise fromthe intermediate web 15 and also project from the plane ofsaidintermediate web.

The guide members 14 are supported in vertically fixed position relativeto the respective sides 1 and 2 of the frame by suitable means such ascommon wood screws 17 which pass through appropriate holes in the web 15of the guide member and are screwed into the respective frame sides 1and 2. These screws -17 are preferably of flat countersunk head typehaving a smooth shank portion 18 which will permit free sliding movementof the guide members 14 along the lengths of said shanks. The webs 15are provided with countersunk openings to receive the heads of thescrews 17 so that the flat head surfaces will be flush with or below theouter surfaces of said webs 15. In most installations, supporting screws17 are required only near the upper and lower ends of the strips 14 butadditional supporting screws may be employed intermediate theend-adjacent screws if desired.

Suitable spring means is provided for yieldingly urging the guidemembers 14 towards the respectively adjacent sash edges which areprovided with arcuate recesses 19 for receiving the respective guideribs 16 as shown. In a preferred arrangement, the spring means forurging the guide members toward the adjacent edges of the sashesconsists of a spring plate 20 which extends substantially the fulllength of the guide member. Said spring plate 20 maybe of any suitablematerial, spring bronze being particularly suitable. The thickness andresiliency of the material should, of course, be selected to provide thedesired degree of pressure for holding the guide member 14 in engagementwith the sashes 10 and 11. The frictional engagement thus producedbetween the guide members 14 and the edges of the sashes may be adequateto hold the sashes in any selected position of vertical adjustment,especially in the case of smaller sized sashes.

For larger sashes, additional counterbalancing means may be provided aswill presently be explained.

The spring or pressure plate 20 may be made in various shapes, thatillustrated in Figure 1 being particularly suitable. As shown, itcomprises a central web portion 21 and wing portions 22, 22 which areconnected through the agency of small ribs 23, 23 to said central'webportion 21. The web portion 21 may be of fiat form as illustrated, andprovided with suitable openings to receive the screws 17. The guidemember 14 and the adjacent pressure plate 20 are preferably attached toeach other so that they may be handled and installed as a unit. Onesuitable means for inter-attaching these elements is illustrated inFigure 4 as comprising the formation of short tubular rivets 24integrally with the web 15, said rivets being punched out of the webportion 15 of the guide member, passed through holes in the spring plateand headed over the same. The tubular rivets may re ceive the supportingscrews 17 if desired, and said integral tubular rivets may be replacedby suitable separate solid or tubular rivets which would preferably becountersunk into the webs 15 to avoid any interference with the movementof the sashes. In four to six foot lengths, two of these fastenings,preferably located adjacent the opposite ends of the guide member, willusually be sufiicient for practical purposes although more may be usedif desired, and a single such fastening may be sufficient in some cases.

The spring backed guide members 14 are yieldingly urged into snugfrictional engagement with the respectively adjacent edges of the sashesand 11. It is especially desirable that the arcuate ribs 16 of the guidemembers be fully seated in complementaryrrecesses in the sash edges asshown, so that there will be no significant leakage of air between thesash edges and said ribs. The sash edge portions which overlap portionsof the central web of the guide members may also be caused to fit snuglyagainst the adjacent web portions although this is not so important.

The seating of the spring plates against the web 15 of the guide memberthrough the agency of the transversely spaced ribs 23. serves to providea Weathertight joint between the spring plate and the guide member, andthe seating of the wings 22 of the spring plate against the frame sides1 and 2 serves to provide weathertight joints between the spring platesand said frame sides. Accordingly, weathertightness is provided betweenthe sash edges and the frame sides 1 and 2 notwithstanding thesubstantial spacing which exists between said sash edges and framesides.

Vertical sliding movement of the sashes is guided primarily by the ribs16 of the guide members 14. Because of the snug fit of the ribs 16 inthe grooves of the sashes, the lit of the sashes against the stops 3 and4 may be quite loose or free so as to avoid any binding action byengagement with said stops.

The guide members 14 may be extruded of suitable metal, for example,aluminum. If the guide member is 2 inches wide from edge to edge, thethickness is madeabout -inch, and the ribs formed on an internal radiusof about of an inch about a center oifset from the plane of the web tocause the convex side of the rib to project about A; of an inch from theadjacent face of the web, the guide member will be substantially rigidand very durable, but these dimensions are not critical and may bevaried considerably. The width of the central portion or web 15 of theguide member is such that the rib formations 16 will be disposedapproximately midway" of the thickness of the respectively adjacentsides of the sashes 10 and 11.

The spring plate member 20 may be made of bronze, stainless steel orother suitable spring material of suitable strength, and preferably ofmaterial which will not corrode in the presence of moisture. In onepractical embodiment, a spring plate of the characterrepresented inFigure l was made of spring bronze having a thickness of 4 .010 of aninch. The width of the member 20 from edge to edge was 2 3 inches.

With the arrangement above described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 4inclusive, the sashes are easily movable up and down along theirrespective guide ribs, and for many sizes of sashes, the frictionbetween the guide ribs 16 and the sash edges is suflicient to hold thesashes in any selected position of adjustment along said guide ribs.Some control of the pressure exerted by the guide ribs against the sashedges is available by appropriately forming or bending the legs or wings22 of the spring plates so as to increase or reduce the pressure exertedby said spring members on the guide members. The supporting screws 17may be adjusted to limit the extent to which the guide members may bemoved by the respective pressure plates, thereby also limiting thepressure with which guide ribs may be forced into engagement with thesash edges.

The yielding support provided by the spring plates 20 for the guidemembers 14 also serves the important purpose of enabling the sashes tobe removed from the window frame for washing and other purposes. Toremove one of the sashes, for example the sash 10, it should be raisedsufiiciently to permit the sash to be grasped at the top and at thebottom. The sash is then moved sideways in either direction, this beingpermitted by the yielding support for the guide members. The sash 10 maythus be moved sideways to the left as viewed in Figure 1 so as todepress its left side edge in the recessed area, 26 to an extent whichwill be sufiicient to cause the right-hand edge of the sash to bewithdrawn from the recess 27 at the right-hand side of the frame. To theextent that the screws 17 will permit, the adjacent guide 14 will followthe withdrawn edge of the sash 10 but such movement of the guide memberis limited by the screws so that the right-hand side edge of the sash 10will be separated to at least some extent from the adjacent guide member14. The right-hand side of the sash, having been withdrawn from therecessed area 27 and separated from the adjacent guide 14, said side ofthe sash may then be rocked laterally or facewise mwardly past the trimstop 4 and past the rib 16 which normally guides the right-hand side ofthe sash.

As the right-hand side portion of the sash 10 is moved inwardly past thetrim stop 4, said right-hand side portion of the sash will, in mostinstallations, engage the adjacent rib 16 and cam it into the recess 27against the pressure of the spring plate 20. A coil spring 28 located inthe hollow of the rib 16 for purposes which will pres ently beexplained, limits the extent to which the gu de member may be cammedinto the recess 27, but the guide member is nevertheless capable ofsufficient movement into the recess to permit the sash to be moved pastthe rib 16 in the manner explained. Inward facewise movement of the sashat the right-hand side thereof is continued until the right-hand side ofthe sash is past the trim stop 4 and in a position in which the sash asan entirety, may be moved edgeways to the right to withdraw itcompletely from the left-hand recess 26 and from the frame. Replacementof the sash proceeds in the reverse order. It is not essential that anyseparation be effected between the guide 14 and the adjacent edge of thesash which is to be moved facewise out of the frame. 1 Proper tioning ofthe structure to cause at least slight 'separatlon is however, preferredin that it' reduces the force required to effect outward camming of theguide member by .the facewise movement of the sash. I

To remove the upper sash, the procedure is similar except that the innersash is first removed and the upper sash then lowered sufliciently toenable it to be grasped at its top and bottom edges whereupon similaredgewise and facewise movements of the sash will effect its removal fromthe frame. Such'removal is normally ef fected inwardly althoughit mayalso be efiected' outward- 1y. In some instances, it may be preferred toprevent means of one or more screws as represented at 43 or otherwise.

At the opposite side of the frame, a'guide member 44 is provided, thisguide member embodying a central fiat portion or web portion 45, andarcuate rib formations 46, 46 along the opposite edges of said webportion 45-. The ribs 46 are similar to the ribs 16 of the guide 14although they may project to a slightly greater extent from the plane ofthe central web portion 45 substantially as illustrated. The guidemember 44 is mounted for adjustment toward and from the frame sidemember 2 through the agency of screws such as indicated at 47 andconical coil springs 48. The coil springs 48 surround the screws 47 andare thereby kept in place. Screw and spring sets of the characterindicated, may be located near the upper and lower ends of the guidemember 44 as indicated in Figure 6, and if desired there may beadditional sets intermediate the end-adjacent sets.

Tofacilitate mounting of the guide member 44 with the springs 48 inplace, the outer face of the central web'45 may be provided with a pairof shallow ribs such as indicated at 49, which are spaced from eachother a distance which will permit the base coils of the springs 48 tobe clamped in place between the ribs incident to slight distortion orflattening of such coils in order to fit them between the ribs.Accordingly, the coil springs may be seated and more or less temporarilyheld in place in concentric relation to the holes provided for-receivingthe screws 47 before the guide member is placed in the desiredrelationship to the frame side member 2.

When the guide strip with the springs attached is properly positionedrelative to the frame side 2, the screws 47 may be passed through theholes provided in the web 45 and axially through the springs 48 anddriven into the frame side 2 to support the guide member for adjustmenttoward and from the frame side as above mentioned. The conical form ofthe springs 48 permits the same to be collapsed into a thicknesscorresponding substantiallyto the thickness of the wire from which thesprings are formed so that the spring will not require the provision ofspace in any substantial amount for accommodating the spring in additionto the amount required for permitting depression of the guide member 44into the frame recess 50 for sash removal purposes.

The guide member 44 is also provided with a pair of outwardly projectingribs 51 of substantial'width, these ribs being adapted to enter recessesor kerfs 52 provided in the frame side 2. These ribs 51 may be somewhatthinner than the width of the grooves 52 so that they will fit freely insaid grooves, but the free edges of said ribs 51 may be provided withedge beads as indicated at 52 which fit fairly tightly but neverthelessfreely movably in the kerfs 52. These ribs 51 serve to prevent freemovement of air through the space betweenv the guide member 44 and theframe side 2 while at the Sametime permitting the guide member 44 to bemoved' toward and from the side member 2..

When the size of the sashes and 11 is such that the pressure'of the ribs46 and 16 on the grooved edges of the sashes'cannot be relied upon tohold the sashes in adjusted position, counterbalancing springs such asindicated at 53 are provided. These counterbalancing springs areoperatively associated with the guide member 44 and with the respectivesashes in a manner quite similar to that described in connection withFigures 1 to 4 inclusive. However, instead of attaching the upper endsofthe springs to ears punched from the upper end portions of the ribs 46as in Figure 3, said springs may have their upper ends hooked to theopposite end portions of a clip 54 which is anchored to the upper end.of the central or web portion 45 of the guide strip 44. Said clip 54 isillustrated in Figures 6 and 9 and as there shown, may be of sheet metalconstruction. formed to provide a wide hook portion 55 which is adaptedto en-. gage over the upper end of the-guide strip 44.

The flanges 51 of the guide strip are provided with upper end slots 56(Fig. 8) which are adapted to receive the end extensions 57 of the clip.Said end extensions are preferablyprovided with suitable anchoring seatsor openings as illustrated, to receive the books of the springs 53. Theribs 49 of the guide member are also terminated below the upper end ofthe guide strip so as to avoid interference with the placing of the clipin the manner illustrated in Figure 6. With this clip arrangement, thespring attaching end portions 57 may be offset toward or from the ribs46 as may be desired to position the counterbalancing springs 53 in thedesired spaced relation to the inner surface of the arcuate ribs .46. t

The lower ends of the springs 53 may be detachabl connected to thebottom rails of the respective sashes through the agency of hangers,such as the above described hangers 31. Another suitable form of hangeris represented in Figures 5, 6 and 10. The hanger there shown, comprisesa suitable wire bent to provide a spring engaging hook 58, a dependingleg 59, and a laterally extending shelf or ledge portion 60. A portionof the hanger, i.e. the ledge portion and part of the leg 59, issuitably coated or covered with non-metallic material as indicated at61. In this instance, the ledge portion 60 is made to conform closely tothe curvature of the arcuate ribs 46 as best shown in Figure 5, and suchhangers be caused to bear against the ribs 46 by twisting the springs toprovide the required torsion effect as above explained, in connectionwith Figure 4. This, however, is not required in either form of theinvention.

The upper end of the hanger may have a guide element 62 applied thereto,this guide element being of generally cylindrical form and diametricallygrooved to receive substantially parallel portions of the upper hookportion 58 of the hanger. The slotted member 62 may be assembled byplacing one of its radial slots about the leg portion 59' of the hangerimmediately below the rebent portion 63 thereof and then sliding themember upwardly so as to cause the rebent hook portion 63 to enter theopposite slot in the member. To keep the member 62 in place, the lowerend portion of the rebent hook element 63 may be slightly bent towardthe leg 59 so as to prevent the member 62 from dropping down along saidleg. This member 62 may be made of fiber or any other suitable materialand is made of a diameter which is preferably slightly larger than theoutside diameter of the associated spring 53 so'that the member 62 willbe engageable with the insideof the rib 46 to thereby prevent directcontact between the spring 53 and said rib or other adjacent parts. Thelower end of'the spring is,,of course, hooked into the eye or hook 58 asillustrated in Figure 6.

In the construction described in connection with Figures 5 and 6, it ispreferable to provide a somewhat wider space between the side frameelement 2 and the adjacent side edges of the sashes in order that thesashes may be moved sidewise to an extent sufiicient to permit theopposite or remote side edges of the sashes to easily clear the fixedguide ribs 16 to permit said remote side portions of the sashes to beswung laterally for removal from the frame. It will, of course, beapparent that such removal may be effected by first adjusting the innersash to a position in which it may be gripped at top and bottom and thenmoved edgewise toward the side frame 2 against the pressure of the coilsprings 48. Incident to such edgewise movement of the sashes, the ribs51' of the guide member 44 will move farther into the slots 51. Thedepth of the slots 52, and the depth of the recessed area 50, should beso related to the distance which the guide ribs 16 project from the webof the guide member 14 that the guide member 44'rnayrbe 'suf ficientlydepressed to permit the ribs 1.6 of said fixed removal of the sashesoutwardly from the frame and this may be done by sutfi'cientlyincreasing the extent to which the blind' stops 3 overlap the marginalside portions of thefsash 11, for example, by increasing the overlap toan extent such as represented by the dotted lines 3a.

- When the sashes are of such size that they cannot be properlysupported in selected position of adjustment by the pressure of theguide members 14 alone, counterbalancing springs, such as represented at28, may be provided. Such springs 28 are conventional helical tensionsprings. The upper ends of the springs 28 are provided with suitablehook formations 29 which are hooked over suitable anchoring devices suchas ears 30, punched outwardly from the respective guide ribs 16 as shownin Figures 2 and 3.

In Figure 3, the hook 29 is illustrated as being offset from the axialcenter of the spring 28 for engagement with the anchoring ear 30 in amanner to normal-1y tend to maintain the upper end portion of the springspaced from the rib 16 of the guide member. This is desirable in-Iorderto prevent noisy rubbing contact between the spring and the guide rib 16but it is not essential since the amount of noise produced in the mannerindicated is not seriously objectionable. Furthermore, in some instancesthe spring 28 may have its outer surface areas coated or covered withfibers, flocking or with other material which will prevent noiseproducing, metal-to-metal contact between the spring and the adjacentguide rib. As' represented in Figure 2, the hook portion 29 of thespring 28 for the inner sash is preferably made somewhat longer than thehook portion for the spring of the outer sash 11.

The lower end of each spring 28 is connected to the sash with which itis associated, preferably by means of a detachable connection, to thelower portion of the sash.

For this purpose, a hook or hanger 31, such as represented in Figure 7,may be employed. This hanger 31 has an upper end hook portion 32 whichis engaged with the lower hook or eye 33 of the spring as shown inFigure 2. Said hanger 31 also has a depending stem portion 34 and alower end loop or ledge portion 35. The loop or ledge portion 35 is soformed that an arm portion 36 thereof extends outwardly from the hollowof the rib 16 past its free edge 16a (Fig. 4), the remainder of the loopextending around the front or outside of the arcuate rib 16 in spacedrelation thereto, so as to provide a ledge which may be easily engagedwith the bottom of the sash when inserting the sash into the frame.

The inner or lower sash 10 is preferably provided with a shallow recess37 in its bottom rail to receive the ledge portion 35 of the hanger andso as to permit said inner sash to be lowered into seating engagementwith the sill 6 as shown in Figure 2. The spring 28 for the upper orouter sash is similarly connected to the bottom edge thereof. For thisconnection there is, however, no need for employing a recess, such asthe recess 37 for receiving the :ledge portion of the hanger since thebottom edge of the upper sash is not normally lowered into engagementwith the sill 6. However, there is no objection to the employment of therecess, and it may be desirable to do so for the purpose of at leastpartially concealing the ledge portion of the hanger and forstandardization purposes in construction.

When the sash 10 is in its normal lowered closed position, the spring'28 will be stretched and under tension which tends to raise the sash10. The spring is, of course, selected of such strength that it will notalone be capable of raisingthe sash but will serve as a counterbalancewhich aids manual raising of the sash. Similarly, the spring 28 for theupper sash is selected to cause it to counterbalance said sash but notto move it without the aid of'manual force applied to the sash.

The hanger 31 for the outer or upper sash is, of course, made left-handif the hanger for the inner or lower sash is considered right-hand '(seeFig. 1). The hangers 31 are preferably made of fairly stiff wire bent toshape, for example, steel wire having a diameter of about 0.10 of aninch. This wire may be treated or alloyed with material to preventcorrosion by moisture, or it may be made of non-corrosive material suchas bronze, if desired. However, corrosion does not ordinarily occur toany troublesome extent in installations of the character hererepresented.

To prevent noise incident to metal-to-metal contact during movement ofthe spring and the hanger relative to the guide member, the hangers 31are preferably coated with a suitable tough rubber or plastic coveringmaterial represented at 38. A fixed coating of this character ispreferred although the hanger may be enclosed in a tube of suitablematerial slipped over the wire either before or after it is formed intothe hanger.

The ledge portion 35 of the hanger may have its free end terminated in arebent end portion 39 to provide a smooth round end 40 which usuallyrests against some portion of the guide strip substantially asrepresented in Figure 4. Also, the spring 28 may be twisted or woundsufiiciently to cause it to produce a torque action by which the hook 31will be normally rotated in a direction to cause its free end portion 39to normally assume the guide strip engaging relationship indicated inFigure 4 throughout the relative vertical movement of the hanger and theguide strip incident to vertical adjustment of the sash. This torqueaction also tends to maintain the upper hook 29 in fixed positionrelative to the anchoring ear 30 and the adjacent portions of the ribs16 as indicated in Figure 3.

A further means for preventing noisy metal-to-metal contact is toenclose the lower end portion of the spring 28 and the upper portion ofthe hanger 3-1 in a sleeve 41 of paper, fiber or other suitablematerial. This sleeve 41 may be made to have aninternal diameter whichwill fit in gripping relation around the lower end portion of the spring28 and the lower portion of the sleeve may be more or less collapsed asindicated at 42 around the upper portion of the hanger. The collapsed ortapered portion 42 of the sleeve serves to prevent the sleeve fromriding up on the spring so that the sleeve will remain in housingrelationship to the connection between the spring and the hanger.

As shown in Figure 2, the hook 29 of the spring for the lower sash 10 isconsiderably longer than the hook 29 of the spring for the upper sash.The difference in length may be substantially greater than thatrepresented in the drawing. The spring 28 for the inner sash 10 isstretched and is under its greatest tension when the sash 10 is innormal, lowered or closed, position. It is not necessary that thestretched spring extend throughout the major portion of the length ofthe guide member and the use of the longer hook 29 serves to aid inreducing the necessary length of spring 28. For like reason, the hanger31 associated with the lower sash 10 may be substantially longer thanthe hanger associated with the upper or outer sash. The upper or outersash is normally in up or closed position at which time itscounterbalancing spring 28 is under only sufficient tension to insurestability of the sash in such closed position. When the upper sash is tobe lowered, the spring associated therewith therefore offers only slightresist ance to lowering of the sash and will not at any time becomesufliciently tensioned to effect upward movement of the sash from aselected position of adjustment without outside assistance.

In Figures 5 and '6, there is illustrated a modified arrangement ofremovable sash mounting which partially embodies the principles of sashmounting illustrated in Figures l-to 4 inclusive. In the modification,one side of the window frame is provided with a guide member 14 of thesame type as represented in the arrangement of Figures 1 to 4 inclusive.This guide member is, however, fixedly mounted on the frame side 1 by 9guide member 14 to be cleared inthe manner already referred to. r

To avoid unusual extension of the blind stop 3 for deepening the recess50, an extender strip 64 may be attached to said stop 3 as shown inFigure 5. ThlS extender strip 64 may be of suitable sheet metal,preferably of spring metal and it is suitably anchored as indicated at65 to the inside of the blind stop 3. By the use of this extender stripthe usual or standardized frame construction may be retained. Theopposed trim stop 4a may be of somewhat greater width than the normalwidth as represented at the left-hand side of Figure 5. This wider trimstop is not usually a part of the mill constructed frame so that its usedoes not involve any change in standardized frame construction. Theextender strip 64 may also be employed in connection with the structureshown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive to deepen the recesses in the framesides and to prevent outward removal of the sashes.

At the present time it is preferred that the guide members 14 and 44 beof extruded aluminum construction and of relatively rigid character.However, they may be formed of sheet metal, for example as shown inFigures 11 and 12. As shown in Figure 11, a guide member 66 is formed ofa single web of suitable sheet metal such as aluminum or bronze having athickness of about .020 inch, the metal being folded upon itself to forma pair of flanges 67 similar to the flanges 51 of the extruded metalconstruction represented in Figure 8. The plies of metal which are inface-to-facerelation to form said flanges 67 may be welded, soldered orotherwise appropriately secured together, or suitable staples or thelike indicated at 68, may be employed for that purpose. 1'

In Figure 12, a guide member 69 of two-piece construction is shown. Asthere indicated, the central web portion 70 of the guide member is oftwo-ply construc-' tion, one ply being integral with the rib formations71 and the other ply being integral with the flange formations 72. Theweb portions of the two parts may be suitably secured together as bymeans of tubular rivet formations indicated at 73, which are similar tothose above described and shown at 24 in Figure 4. Again, the tubularrivet 75 may be replaced by conventional separate rivets, by solderingor brazing or any other suitable form of attachment. In the constructionshown in Figure 12, the part which comprises the integrally connectedribs 71 may alone be used as an alternative for the extruded, relativelyrigid guide members 14 in Figures 1 and 5. The material employed forconstructing the modified constructions shown in Figures 11 and 12 maybe spring metal so that the rib portions which correspond to the ribs 16and 46 may be inherently yieldingly engaged with the sash side edges.

The construction shown in Figures 13 and 14 issuch that it provides ametal guide element 76 which extends continuously from the outer blindstop 3 to the inner trim stop 4 so as to provide a continuous or overallmetal facing in the recessed area 77 between said blind and trim stops.This avoids any need for painting any portion of the wood surfaces whichform said recess 77. By eliminating any need for painting the woodsurfaces which form said recessed area 77, there is largely eliminatedthe cause of paint sealing or bonding the sashes in whatever positionthat they happen to be when the painting is done.

As shown in Figure 13, the guide member. 76 which extends across thefull width of the recess 77 comprises a central web portion 78, a pairof tubular housings 79 located in such transversely spaced relation toeach other as to be disposed approximately midway of the thickness ofthe sashes and 11, and outer web portion 80 which terminate in flangededges 81. I The flanged edges 81 are adapted to ride on the innersurfaces 82 of the stops 3 and 4. Suitable spring means 83 is interposedbetween the central web 78 of'the'guide strip and the frame side 2 toyieldingly urge the guide strip' toward the sash edges; In thisinstance, the spring'means is illustratedas consistingof a sheet metalspring member which is of Z- shaped cross section. Suitably located woodscrews one of which is indicated at 84 are employed for anchoring theguide member 76 to the frame side 2. The screws 84 pass through suitableopenings provided in the central web 78 and in the three web portions ofthe spring 83. In general, a pair of these screws 84, respectivelylocated near the upper and lower ends of the guide strips aresufficient. As in the previously described constructions, the guidestrip 76 and the spring member 83 extend the full length of the windowframe opening and said spring member, bearing firmly against the guidestrip 76 and against the frame side 2, may perform a weather strippingfunction. However, in this arrangement, the spring element 83 need notbe depended upon for weather stripping purposes as in the Figure 1arrangement, since the guide plate 76 traverses the entire width of therecess and thereby prevents the excessive flow of air between the guideplate and frame side 2 from the outside to the inside or vice versa.However, if the guide strip 76 is made a rather free fit between thestops 3 and 4, the weather stripping effect of said spring plate may bean important function thereof.

The tubular housings 79 of the guide strip are adapted to receive sashcounterbalancing coil springs 85 which, as shown in Figure 14, may besuspended from suitable ears such as indicated at 86 punched inwardly ofsaid housings from the outer walls thereof. The lower ends of saidsprings are connected through the agency of suitable hangers such as 87of the character already described, to the bottom of the respectivesashes. The inner wall portions 79a of said tubular housings arelongitudinally slotted as indicated at 79b to permit the passage of theplatform portion of the hanger 87 from within the spring housing intoposition upwardly thereof for receiving the respective sashessubstantially as shown in Figure 14. The side edges of the sashes 10 and11 are, of course, suitably recessed as indicated at 88 to receive saidouter portions 79a of the tubular housings to thereby be guided forvertical movement by said housings.

It will be seen that in as much as the guide plate 76 is yieldinglyurged against the edges of the sashes, effective weather tightengagement will be easily obtained between the sashes and said guideplate or strip and also that the sashes may be removed by proceduresimilar to that above set forth, as'an incident to the yieldable backingof the guide plate 76.

If a movable guide plate of the character shown in Figure 13 is employedat both sides of the frame, and such guide plate is yieldingly supportedat both sides in the manner explained, it will be necessary to depressthe guide plate at one side, a distance of only about J2 the distancethat the slotted housing portion 79 projects into the sashes from theplane of the central web 78 and the marginal web portions 80. However, afixed guide plate may be employed at one side of the frame forcooperation with a yieldingly supported guide plate such as the guideplate 76; in that event it will, of course, be necessary to depress theguide plate 76 a distance which corresponds to the extent of projectionof the guide ribs at the other side of the sashes.

As shown in Figure 13 the depth of the recessed area 77 is somewhatgreater than the depth of the recess in the arrangement shown in Figures1 and 5. The provision of this greater depth in the arrangement shown inFigure 13 (while maintaining spring housings for the same size ofsprings as are employed in the arrangements shown in Figures 1 and 5)may be avoided by suitably recessing the frame side 2 as indicated inbroken lines at 89 to receiveportions of the spring housings 79 when theguide member is depressed in the recess to facilitate removal of thesashes.

Thefull width metal guide element shown in Figure 13 is a highlydesirable construction, but some builders and others maybe critical ofthe readily visible slots 79b. To avoid the use of such openly visibleslots and to otherwise simplify the structure of the guide plate whilemaintaining the full width construction, the arrangement shown in Figure15 may be employed.

In the Figure 15 construction, a full width guide plate or strip 90comprises a central web portion 91, inwardly offset, approximatelysemi-circular spring housing formations 92, and outer marginal webportions 93 which terminate in edge flanges 94. This guide strip isyieldingly supported by means of a suitable spring arrangement such asthe Z-formed spring 83 of Figure 13 so that said guide strip 90 ismovable facewise in the recess 95 of the frame structure.Counterbalancing springs 96 are at least partially housed in said hollowribs 92 and the lower ends of said springs are anchored to the lowerends of the guide strips, for example by engaging the lower end springeyes over cars 97 which maybe punched outwardly from the walls of thehousings 92 near the lower end of the guide strip. The upper ends of thesprings 96 are respectively connected by suitable flexible cords 98 tothe upper ends of the sashes and 11 in any suit able manner such as thatindicated in Figure 16 which is similar to the common slot and knotconnection used for connecting counter weight cords to the sashes inconventional double hung window constructions.

The counterbalancing cords 98 are guided around the upper ends of theguide plates 90, preferably by suitable non-abrading guide elements suchas indicated at 99 which are seated in notches as best shown in Figure17. The guide element 99 may be of suitable plastic material such asnylon or other -rnaterial which will provide a smooth surface over whichthe counterbalancing cords 98 may ride without significant resistanceand without abrasive action. Guide rollers may, of course, besubstituted for the guide elements, such rollers being mounted in theplace of the elements 99.

The arrangement shown in Figures and 16 eliminates the visible open slot79b of the Figure 13 construction so that the guide plate 90, incooperation with the walls of the recess 95, provide a substantiallyclosed housing for receiving the counterbalancing springs 96 and thesupporting spring 83.

A continuous un-slotted guide plate such as the guide member 90 inFigure 15 may be employed as a fixed guide at one side of a windowstructure for cooperation with a guide member 76 of the type shown inFigure 13. The

guide member 90 of Figure 15 is somewhat easier to.

make than the guide member 76 in that it may be stamped or rolled fromthe sheet metal or extruded from suitable metal such as a suitablealuminum alloy, whereas the guide strip 76 of Figure 13 is mostpracticably produced by extrusion through an extruding die which israther diificult and costly to manufacture and maintain. An extrudingdie for forming the guide structure 90 of Figwe 15 would be relativelysimple and easy to manufacture, and correspondingly less costly. Thestrip 90 and the spring 83 in Figure 15 may be movably anchored to theframe side by screw means as described in reference to the mounting ofthe strip 76 and spring 83 in Figure 13 or in any other suitable manner.

Many changes in the details of construction and other modifications maybe employed while retaining the principles of the described structure.

I claim:

1, A guide strip for slidably mounting a sash in a window frame,comprising an elongated member having a longitudinally extending centralweb adapted to slidably engage the edge of the sash, a pair oflongitudinally extending, transversely arcuate ribs along the oppositeedges of said central web, said ribs projecting in like directions fromthe plane .of said central web in position to slidably engage the edgeof the sash, and a spring plate extending continuously for substantiallythe entire length of said guide strip and having a central portionengaging said central web of the guide strip substantially along itslength and having oppositely extending wing portions extending outwardlyfrom said central portion in spaced, opposed relation to said arcuateribs.

' 2. Means for use in a double hung Window structure including upper andlower sashes mounted in a frame, comprising vertically extending guidemeans carried by the sides of the frame and cooperating with therespectively adjacent edges of said sashes for vertically slidablypositioning the latter, the said guide means at at least one sidecomprising a vertically extending elongated guide member having acentral web adapted to slidably engage the adjacent edges of saidsashes, transversely arcuate ribs along the opposite vertical edges ofsaid web, the convex sidesof said ribs being recessed into the adjacentside edges of said upper and lower sashes respectively for guidingvertical movement thereof, means mounting said guide member fortransverse adjustment intermediatethe adjacent frame side and sash sideedges, and a spring plate interposed between said guide member and theadjacent frame side and extending substantially the entire length ofsaid guide member, said spring plate having a central portion engagingthe central web of said guide member and having marginal wing portionsoffset from the plane of said web and continuously engaging frame sideportions opposite to said arcuate ribs, said spring plate serving toyield-ingly urge said guide member ribs into frictional engagement withthe respectively adjacent sash edges and also to seal the spaceintermediate said guide member and the adjacent frame side againstsignificant air flow through said space.

3. Means for use in a double hung window structure including upper andlower sashes mounted in a frame, comprising vertically extending guidemeans carried by the sides of the frame and cooperating with therespectively adjacent edges of said sashes for vertically slidablypositioning the latter, the said guide means at at least one sidecomprising avertically extending elongated guide member having a centralweb slidably engaging the adjacent edges of said sashes, transverselyarcuate ribs along the opposite vertical edges of said web, the convexsides of said ribs being recessed into the adjacent side edges of saidupper and lower sashes respectively for guiding vertical movementthereof, means mounting said guide member for transverse adjustmentintermediate the adjacent frame side and sash side edges, a spring plateinterposed between said guide member and the adjacent frame side andextending substantially the entire length of said guide memher, saidspring plate having a central portion engaging the central web of saidguide member along its length and having marginal wing portions offsetfrom the Plane of said web and continuously engaging frame side portionsopposite tosaid arcuate ribs, said spring plate serving to yieldinglyurge said guide member ribs into frictional engagement with therespectively adjacent sash edges and also, through said engagementbetween said central portion of the spring plate and said central web ofthe guide member and between said wing portions and the frame sideportions, to seal the space intermediate said guide member and theadjacent frame side against significant air flow through said space, andtension springs housed between said arcuate ribs and the Wings of thespring plate, said tension springs being connected at their upper endsto said guide member and at their lower ends to lower portions of therespectively adjacent sashes for counterbalancing the weight thereof.

4. Means for use in a double hung window structure including upper andlower sashes mounted in a frame, comprising vertically extending guidemeans carried by the sides of the frame and cooperating with therespectively adjacent edges of said sashes for vertically slidablypositioning the latter, the said guide means at at least one sidecomprising a vertically extending elongated guide member having acentral web slidably engaging the adjacent edges of said sashes,transversely arcuate ribs along the opposite vertical edges of saidcentral web, the convex sides of said ribs being recessed into theadjacent side edges of said upper and lower sashes respectively forguiding vertical movement thereof, means mounting said guide member onsaid window frame for transverse adjustment intermediate the adjacentframe side and sash side edges, and a spring plate interposed betweensaid guide member and the adjacent frame side for yieldingly pressingsaid guide member against said sashes, said spring plate extendingsubstantially the entire length of said guide member and having acentral portion including a pair of ribs continuously engaging thecentral Web of said guide member along its length and having marginalwing portions oifset from the plane of said web and continuouslyengaging frame side portions substantially along the length thereof atpositions opposite to said arcuate ribs, said spring plate serving toyieldingly urge said guide member ribs into frictional engagement withthe respectively adjacent sash edges and also to seal the spaceintermediate said guide member and the adjacent frame side againstsignificant air flow through said space, said guide member and centralspring plate portion being spaced from the adjacent frame side when saidguide member is held against said sashes to permit said guide member tobe moved toward the adjacent frame side through the agency of saidsashes to an extent suificient to enable the remote side edges of thesashes to be withdrawn from their guide means and moved facewise out ofthe frame to facilitate withdrawal of their other edges from guidingengagement with said guide member.

5. A guide strip for slidably mounting a pair of sashes in a windowframe, comprising an elongated member hav- 14 ing a longitudinallyextending central web adapted to slidably engage edge portions of thesashes, a pair of longitudinally extending, transversely arcuateportions.

along the opposite edges of said central web, said arcuate portionsprojecting in like directions from the plane of said central web andadapted for positioning within edge grooves in said sashes, and a springplate extending continuously for substantially the entire length of saidguide strip and having a central portion attached to the central web ofsaid elongated member, said spring plate includ ing a pair of similarlyprojecting spaced apart ribs on said central portion which extendcontinuously of the length thereof and engage said central Web, and saidspring plate including oppositely extending wing portions extendingoutwardly from said ribs on said central portion in spaced, opposedrelation to said arcuate portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS278,469 Thompson May 29, 1883 2,270,315 Kreuger Jan. 20, 1942 2,303,129Kurtz Nov, 24, 1942 2,307,647 Starck Jan. 5, 1943 2,619,690 Kinish Dec.2, 1952 2,648,515 Weiss Aug. 11, 1953 2,677,156 Holmes May 4, 19542,740,171 McCubbin Apr. 3, 1956 2,772,449 Nicol Dec. 4, 1956 2,774,997Zitomer Dec. 25, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,135 Great Britain Oct. 13, 1879

